South Korea is undoubtedly one of the smoker-friendliest countries on earth. With one of the highest smoking rates in the world, a prevalence of attractive smoking advertisements, and cigarettes available nearly everywhere, it's an easy city to light up in. According to the Ministry of Health, 25% of South Korean adults and 10% of teens are smokers- and an astounding 44% of adult men smoke.
There are possibly several reasons behind this: not only are cigarettes cheap in Korea, but apparently most of the men begin smoking during their military service, which ...

There is something about cigar smoking that shouts machismo all over it. We are not talking about the more serious side of being "macho" which is associated with the violence done by men on women. Rather, we would focus on the lighter side of men's efforts towards achieving a more manly image.
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Cigar Smoking
It is not clear when cigar smoking became identified with machismo considering that a review in history will show that women have also been doing their share of cigar smoking. This belief that a man looks manlier with a cigar permanently stuck in his ...

Cigar smoking is usually sought to be justified by some smart explanation but none are more eloquent than words spoken by certified cigar smokers themselves.
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"Gentlemen. you may smoke."
These words of King Edward VII were probably music to the ears of many men who have been prevented from smoking by the ban imposed by Queen Victoria. This proclamation soon came right after his ascension to the throne. Edward reportedly smoked twenty cigarettes and twelve cigars a day.
"The only way to break a bad habit was to replace it with a better ...

Throughout the history of television shows and movies, there are a number of smoking characters that have made their mark in the public’s mind. Sometimes, it is about the whole character that will make its mark, but other times it can take just a single scene to be unforgettable. To the viewers’ mind their smoking characters will always hold a certain distinction.
Robert de Niro
Robert de Niro took on the role of a tattooed, cigar-smoking psychotic rapist in the movie "Cape Fear". De Niro is actually seen in ...

Cigars have to be stored properly for them to retain their flavor. The traditional storage boxes of cigars are called humidors. A quality humidor is not exactly cheap so those who think they are up to the task may consider making their own homemade humidor.
The easiest homemade humidor is made up of an airtight plastic container. Take note that the emphasis here is the word airtight. Anything less is unacceptable. The ideal size is one that will comfortably fit at least two wooden boxes of cigars ...

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To make a cigar experience worth your while, you must know how to buy the right one. Cigar have so many variants to choose from that it is impossible to say if a person with no previous experience with cigar would like his/her first try. It would be advisable to ask the recommendation of a local tobacconist who understands the differences in the variants.
Newbie cigar smokers can get easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. It is impossible to make the right choice just by looks since the magic of cigar lies in the flavor. ...

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The Philippines has been producing cigar for quite some time and is one of the largest producing in Asia. The introduction of tobacco in the Philippines is credited to Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer who brought tobacco seeds from Cuba to Spanish missionaries staying in the Philippines. The cultivation of these seeds paved the way for the birth of what would be a successful cigar industry.
The Spaniards chose to cultivate these seeds in the Philippine soil which was a colony during that time. Thus it came to pass that Spaniards propagated the commercialization of tobacco production ...

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Given that Cuba is the most popular cigar-producing country, it would be logical to think that it holds the title of being the Cigar Country. Apparently, this isn’t so since the prestigious title has been bestowed to the Dominican Republic, paradise located in the very heart of the Caribbean. Why this became so was a result of historical events that not even the people of Dominican Republic could have anticipated.
The cigar industry of the country started quite small but even then, it boasted of good soil and perfect climate for tobacco. The trade embargo imposed by ...

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Since the year 1958, Cuba has been the subject of an arms embargo due to an armed conflict between the Batista regime and rebels. Cuba’s revolutionary government however caught the ire of the US government when it seized US properties. US retaliated by reducing Cuba’s brown sugar import quota. Cuba found its ally in the then Soviet Union when it agreed to buy the sugar rejected by the US.
The alignment of Cuba with the Soviet Union resulted to further restrictions as decided upon by then President John F. Kennedy through an Executive Order. Kennedy however ...

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The cigar smoking experience can be made more pleasurable by having the proper cigar accessories. These accessories ensure that the quality and flavor of cigars are properly preserved and that they are used correctly without resulting to wastage and deterioration of physical condition, Cigar smokers can readily find these accessories in cigar shops whether online or in brick-and-mortar stores.
One of the most basic accessories is the cigar cutter. Cigar cutters come in many different sizes and styles since cigars do not come in uniform sizes either. The use of the right cigar cutter will ensure an ...